Week 4 - Visual Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics: Structure, meaning and context.

  As we know on week 3, semiotic is a study of sign. . Moreover, we also studied that we perceived things in our life are through 5 senses; hear, taste, smell, sight and touch.

 Now, we move on in depth in semiotics. Semiotics was divided into three part branches  which consist of syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Syntax as stated by Levinson (1983) is “the study of the formal relation of signs to one another”. It also means how the words a form together into sentences. While for my analysis towards syntax; in languages it have a grammar, therefore it is also a grammar in the visual images. This syntax has rules that we automatically follow step by step when viewing the images. It comprises the rule of the third, rules of colour, rules of lines and rules of composition.

  Every image has it certain parts that could attract our attention to focus at it very much. For examples, the images above will show where our eye movement focus first and ended at the end. Firstly, from the ad images above I was attracted by the swollen on the kid eye and mouth. Then my attention moves to the chain and the scratched parts on the kid body and lastly the sentences at the right side. This showing how we view the visual images in structure, which also mean that we also have regulation about on how we try to view or see things around us (Petterson, 1993).


 The below picture is showing how my eyes movement on the advert had started from the top and ended to the bottom on the right side.

 Now we moved on to Semantic. In language, semantics is the study of the meaning of the context. While in visual, it studies the meaning of the sign. Semantics are more concern on how we able to interpret the visual context and understand what does it represent. According to Levinson (1983), “the study of the relations of sign to the objects to which sign are applicable.”

What does u see on the picture above? Maybe u just thought it as a simple hut or village that located near the beach. While for myself, it is not just a hut but I think it is the vacation place for people to have their leisure time with family or honeymoon for the newlywed couple. We can see the clear water and blue sky which represent of warm, cool and calm. It was the place for people having rest out from the hectic city. Therefore, different person have different perception and interpretation when viewing the sign or symbol of the visual context. In other words, it is what you see and what you compute from it.


 Lastly, pragmatics in language is the study of the invisible meaning of the context by speakers and how it was interpret by a listerner. According to Pecci (2009), “pragmatic analysis is on the meaning of the speakers’ utterances rather than on the meaning of words or sentences.”
 
 For instance, yesterday my little sister was asking something to me, my father and my mother. She said “do you know what ‘BF’ mean is?” Then three of us were in shocked because she is not supposed to be known that words. This is because in our mind that ‘BF’ words mean ‘Blue Film’. However, for her actually the meaning of ‘BF’ is referring to ‘Boy Friend.’ From the above text we can see that a single sign of word can have more than one meaning.


 While, for visual it is the study on how the society interpret towards the sign or symbol of the images using the social background. 

What do expect the above sign is? Mostly most of us interpret it as a peace sign from what the society has been view on it. However, some people refer it as ‘two’. Therefore, again different society background had created a different meaning on visual context.

References:

• Deterding, D., Leong, P. A., Low, E. L. (2006). An introduction to linguistics. Singapore: McGraw Hill.
•  Levinson, S. C. (1983). Pragramtics. United Kingdom: University Press Cambridge.
• Moore, A. (2000). Semantics - meanings, etymology and the lexicon. Retrieved September 9, 2011, from 
• http://www.teachit.co.uk/armoore/lang/semantics.htm

Week 3 - Semiotic Revisited

Signifiers, Signifieds, and Connotations.

In this week, we are introduced to the theory of Semiotics. Basically semiotics is defined as ‘the study of sign’. We learn the how sign could be use as communicative method in the world. According to Chandler (2007) “semiotics involves the study not only what we refer to as ‘sign’ as everyday speech, but of anything which ‘stands for’ something else.”

We can see sign in our everyday life such as letter, words, sound, objects or images. It teaches us how the meaning was formed. There are two elements for the sign to be formed which are the signifier and signified.

  

The signifier is the physical form of the sign such as sound, image, written word. The signifiers consist of five senses: smell, sight, hear, touch, sound and taste. For example:

While signified is the concept that indicated from the signifiers. However, one signifiers are not determining only as one signifier but it also has many signified. Such as from the above written word of ‘Social Media’, in my mind the image of facebook was appeared but different people have different perceptions towards the meaning of it. There also another signified for social media. For instance:

      Another aspect of analysing the semiotics is the denotation and connotation. Denotation is defined as the description of the sign. For example, the image below is a golden Rolex watch with the diamond.

                                             

Connotation on the other side is the mental concept that is generated from the signifier. For instance, the images above represent the luxury, expensive, status, symbols, wealth and elegant.

References:

• Chandler, D. (2007). Semiotics: The basics (2^nd ed.). London: Routhledge Taylor & Francis Group.
•  Griffin, E. (1997). A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.
• Schirato, T., & Yell, S. (2000). Communication and culture. London, Thousand Oaks & New Delhi: SAGE Publications.

Week 2 – Seeing and Perception

What is perception and why is it different from seeing?

         Perception is a method of collecting information and giving a meaning into it. It is like when we choose images from anything such as television, display and etc; it will form the information from it. Then our brain will choose part of it and organized it and eventually trying to understand and judge the importance on it. Jamieson (2007) also claimed that “the process of visual communication is always one transformation; at the retinal level an analogue input is transformed into a digital output transmission by electrical impulses to the brain; and at the cultural level, symbolic images require to be transported, via metaphor, in order for their meaning to be understood.”

Perception is not only affected on a small matter from what we expect. People might receive the same data or news or images but every person has their own different ways interpret it. According to Berger (1972) “yet, although every image embodies a way of seeing, our perception or appreciation of an image depends also upon our own way of seeing.” It means that every person has a different version of perception when viewing with their own opinion. For instance, what is I am looking right now and what I perceive about it is not the same way of my friend have for their perception.

        Moreover, perception is the way on how we view or see the things and assuming it using brain to form the meaning. Perceptions are divided into two types which are an assumption when we conscious and the other side are when unconscious.

Seeing is what we just see physically without making a judgment. Seeing also can be an action where people see things while having their own point of view. Therefore, seeing can be looking at something without being judgmental while having own views.

This is an example of an image that can differentiate between perception and seeing.

When people see the images above, automatically people will say it is a flower. This is what we called seeing rather than perception. This is because people on tent to see the images physically without question it out again.

However, there are some people who have perception towards the images above. They will call it an orchid flower not just see it as a flower. Therefore, it is not just a simple flower only but when the images are capture by their brain, the mind is working out to assign a name of the flower also which is ‘Orchid Flower’. Moreover, perception also does not happen only when we see something but also when we hear, feel, smell, see or sense that particular things.

References:

• Berger, J., Blomberg, S., Dibb, M., Fox, C., & Hollis, R. (1972). Ways of seeing. London: The British Broadcasting Corporation.
• Jamieson, H. (2007). Visual communication: More than meets the eye. Bristol: GBR Intellect Books.